High-salinity water desalination using VMD

This research focuses on vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) using high-concentration NaCl aqueous solutions as feed. A new membrane module was investigated to improve water desalination and experiments were carried out using a commercial polypropylene (PP) membrane with a pore size of 0.2 μm. In order to enhance performance of VMD in desalination and to get more flux, effects of operating parameters on the performance were studied. Water fluxes were measured at different feed temperatures, feed concentrations, vacuum pressures and flow rates. The new configuration provides better mixing and this increases heat and mass transfer coefficients, and as a result, reduces temperature and concentration polarization effects.